Helen Yancy

No other American artist or photographer has received as many international honors or more professional acclaim than Helen Yancy. But it is the ability to please clients with artful images that provide Helen with her greatest satisfaction. This ability flows from her passion about art, life, family, and people.

Working on location or in her comfortable residential studio, Helen’s goal continues to be creating exquisite art pieces that portray people and their relationships with sensitivity, realism, and imagination.

During her distinguished career, Helen Yancy has earned the rare distinction of being the first person in the world to receive every degree and honor presented by Professional Photographers of America (PPA), the largest and most prestigious professional photographic association in the world. She is a past president and chairman of the board of PPA and is one of only a few Americans to be honored as a Fellow of the British Institute of Photography, in part because of her leadership in creating ties between PPA and the British Institute.

A member of the prestigious Portrait Society of America, Cameracraftsmen of America, and the Society of XXV, a group of 25 exceptional photographic artists from around the world, she is one of fewer than 100 Fellows of the American Society of Photographers. In May 2001, she was honored at the United Nations with a Medallion for leadership, service, artistic and photographic ability by the International Council for Photography, the only organization of its kind recognized by the UN.

Helen Yancy’s oil, watercolor, mixed-media, and photographic portraits hang in hundreds of private homes and in permanent collections and exhibitions.

Helen's Courses

Video: In this class, get up close and personal with Corel Painter brushes and learn how to master these tools to make your images pop! You’ll start with a basic understanding of how the program works, and then build your confidence and knowledge as you experiment with Painter’s capabilities. Play with all the brushes, learn how to use the Wacom tablet and pen and understand how to control the settings so you can shape and clone to your heart’s content.

Video: Helen first helps you understand all of your options within a custom palette – the differences between categories, variants and brush. Then, explore your different painting options – oil/low key on canvas, pastel using dry media, or watercolor on watercolor paper. Once you understand your options, you can vary between them all, based on what works best for each project.

Video: You may have shied away from Corel Painter in the past, but this is your opportunity to learn it, love it and make it your own! Instructor Helen Yancy helps you with what is often the biggest hurdle – getting started! Working with the image of a flower, you’ll learn how to clone and save your files, as well as the correct mode in which to start your brush strokes.

Video: In this class, Helen introduces you to the power of what Painter can do, as well as ways that you can broaden your style and creativity. Her easy-to-understand, step-by-step methods allow you to get over the fear of the unknown and embrace this artistic ability!

Video: If you’ve been using Corel Painter or have already taken Helen Yancy’s courses, you may be wondering “what is as next?” Have we got the answer for you! In this course, Helen takes you beyond the traditional and introduces some creative, advanced ways to use this amazing software.

Video: In Part 1 of this four-part series, Corel Painter expert Helen Yancy gets you started on this journey – you’ll learn how to prepare, clone and paint your image, creating new files and layers as you go. Helen shares her process for saving and labeling files so that version control is a snap, and you never compromise the original image.

Video: Start off with the basics such as how to create, open or select an image and suggestions for setting up your workspace. Then, delve into more complex features like the best way to brush track and how to handles problems along the way. Finally, focus on the window of the soul, as Helen shares step-by-step instructions for painting the eyes of a portrait.

Video: During this four-part series, you’ve learned Painter fundamentals; you’ve explored how to paint the eyes in a portrait. Now move onto your subjects’ radiant locks, their trailing tresses – it is time to tackle the hair!

Video: You’ve learned the basics of Corel Painter, explored how to work with faces and features, and examined the bells and whistles that make this program so amazing. Now, bring it all to a close as you learn the final, finishing touches for your portrait. Step by step, layer by layer, both literally and figuratively -- learn how to paint your portraits for masterpieces your clients will love. Corel Painter can take you there; Helen Yancy shows you the way!